Source: CNA
Cyprus is one of the top countries, among other European countries, with the highest number of females in the police force, as 25% of them are women, Assistant Head of Crime Combat Unit and member of the Police Gender equality committee, Kyriaki Lambrianidou, said.
Lambrianidou unveiled figures from Eurostat last week during an event in Nicosia to mark international women`s day. She said that statistics show that in Europe 18% of the workforce in the police are women, while in Cyprus it stands at 25%, higher than the European average. Other countries similar to Cyprus with a high concentration of female police officers are Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Estonia.
female police officers are trying to continually balance family life with their careers, adding that the Police Department acknowledges the complexity of women`s roles
She also said that in the last two years there has been an increase in the number of women joining the police force in Europe. It is estimated that there are 1.5 million police officers in Europe, of which 250,000 are women.
According to Justice Minister Stephie Dracos, females represent a high percentage of the force in the Cyprus police and they also participate in law enforcement operations holding crucial roles.
She said that almost 70% of female police officers have operational and staff duties and called on them to carry out their jobs with determination and dedication.
The Minister also said that her priority is to combat gender violence and her Ministry is drafting a bill that harmonizes Cyprus law with the Istanbul Convention.
Police Chief Stelios Papatheodorou said that there are 1,274 female officers in the force, noting that we all have a duty to safeguard their rights, to protect them and to fight for gender equality.
He also noted the fact that female police officers are trying to continually balance family life with their careers, adding that the Police Department acknowledges the complexity of women`s roles.
